Pie edge crimping and trimming device



May 8, 1956 G. s. SUZUKI RIEI EDGE CRIMPING AND TRIMMING DEVICE Filed Aug. 5, 1955 Tic-,2

INVENTOR. Giana-i S.5uzuv TO 2N EYS United States Patent 2,744,476 PIE EDGE CRIMPING AND TRIMMING DEVICE George S. Suzuki, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii Application August S, 1955, Serial No. 526,659

4 Claims. (Cl. 10749) 7 This invention relates to devices for trimming the edges of pies, while simultaneouslycrimping the same to impart an attractive appearance. to the finished pie.

While broadly speaking, devices for the purposes referred to are not new in and of themselves, the main object of the present invention is to provide a generally improved means of the-type referredto, which will be characterized by its ease of application to or removal from the pie, will be so designed as to insure to the maximum against sticking of the device to the pie crust, will be eflicient in operation in every instance of use, and will be capable of manufacture at a relatively low cost, considering the benefits to be obtained from the use thereof.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device formed according to the present invention, as it appears when in use, preliminary to trimming of the edge of the crust;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the device and an associated pie, following trimming and crimping of the pie;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view, on the same scale as Figure 3, taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 3.

Designated generally at is the crimping and trimming device constituting the present invention, and said device includes a continuous, circular trimming flange 12 flaring in a downward direction, at approximately 50 degrees from the vertical. A planiform, annular body 14 is secured fixedly to the upper edge of the flange 12 through the medium of a downwardly facing continuous peripheral bead 16 rolled over the upper edge of said flange 12. e

Thus, when the body of the device constituting the support ring 14 and the depending flange 12 is viewed in cross section at any point about the circumference of the device, the body has an inverted L-shaped cross section, as will be noted from Figure 3.

Fixedly secured to the underside of the support ring 14 is a crimping band 18 formed of sheet metal material or the like, having a continuous series of radially extending corrugations, adapted to form a corresponding series of crimps in the edge of the completed pie as shown in Figure 2.

A handle 20 of inverted U-shape is formed of a single piece of sheet metal or the like, bent to shape to include a bight portion extending diametrically of the support ring 14, and relatively short, vertically depending legs 22, 24 terminating at their lower extremities in outwardly directed feet 26, 28 fixedly secured to the rings 14. A plunger housing 30 of inverted U-shape is fixedly secured to and projects upwardly from foot 26. The housing 30 is formed with an opening in the bight portion thereof, in which is slidably mounted a plunger including a stem 32. A spring 34 is held under compression about and is 2,744,476 Patented May- 8, 1956 anchored at one end to the stem 32, between the bight portion of the stem and foot 26. The lower portion of the stem extends through registering openings formed in the foot 26 and in the support ring 14. At its lower extremity, the stem 32 is freely slidable in an opening formed in the corrugated crimping band 18.

A conventional pie plate has been designated at 38, and includes at its periphery the usual outwardly extending, relatively wide circumferential lip 40. During the making of a pie, the top crust 42 thereof is placed over the filling, and as shown in Figure 1, the marginal portion of the top crust projects outwardly over the lip 48 a substantial distance, and must be crimped and trimmed.

Accordingly, when the crust is ready to be trimmed, the device is placed over the pie pan as shown in Figure 1, with the corrugated band 18 overlying the lip 40. As will be understood, both the lower and the upper crusts extend over the lip 40, and are to be crimped together to seal the pie through the periphery thereof.

The user need only press down firmly on the handle 20, and this causes the edge portion of the crust 42 to be sheared off neatly, simultaneously with the crimping of the superposed marginal parts of the upper and lower crust. In this connection, the disposition of the trimming flange 12 at an angle of approximately 50 degrees from the vertical particularly facilitates the trimming action, since during the downward movement of the device, the distance between the outer edge of lip 40 and the inner surface of the trimming flange, 12 is progressively reduced until, when the device is at the full lower limit of its travel, the crimping flange is in close proximity to the lip 40, simultaneously with the arrival of the flange 12, also in such close proximity to the lip 40 as to eifectively trim the marginal part of thepie crust 42 therefrom.

At the same time, the device can be readily removed from the completed pie, merely byexerting a downward pressure on the button 36 of the plunger, while still holding the handle 20. In other words, the hand grasping the hand 20 is naturally positioned in such a way that the thumb can be positioned over the button 36, for the purpose of exerting a downward pressure against said button. Said downward pressure is translated into an upward force upon the portion of the device in the area of the plunger, tending to lift the same from the pie, with the device rocking about a fulcrum bowed substantially at the location of the other end of the handle 20.

This releasing feature is of considerable importance, in

view of the fact that in previous devices conceived for the same purposes, there has arisen the difficulty wherein the device tends to stick to the pie crust, following crimping of the crust and trimming of the same. As a result, when the device is removed, the crust sometimes pulls upwardly oif the pie plate at different locations about the circumference of the pie plate, and this is obviously undesirable. In accordance with the present invention, however, the device is gently but elfectively released, merely by depression of the button while holding the handle 20.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construc tion that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for trimming and crimping pie crusts, comprising an annular support ring; a trimming flange secured to the outer periphery of and depending from said support ring, said flange flaring slightly in a downward direction;

3 a rimping band fixedlysecured to the underside of said ring andformed with a continuous circumferential series of radially extending corrugations; a handle member disposed over the top side of said ring and secured thereto atopposite'portionsthereof, \vherebythehandle may be pressed downwardly upon a pie tin containing a covering of pie crust, to effect crimping and trimming of the crust; 'andmeans foreffecting separation of the device from the 'crust,said means including an elementmounted adjacent said handle for movement relative thereto and downwardly through said-ringfor engagement with said associated pie tin to provide for relative'parting movement between said supporting ring and said associated pie tin whensaid element is pressed downwardly with the raising of said handle.

2. A device for crimping and trimming the edges of pie crusts, comprising aplaniform support ring; a crimping band secured tothe underside of and extending through the full circumference of said support ring; a circumferential trimming flange depending from the outer periphery of the supportring, 'in'close proximity to said crimping band, thus to trim the edge of said pie crust substantially simultaneously with the crimping of the same; a handle of approximately inverted U-shape secured to and extending diametrically of the support ring; and a depressible plunger mounted upon the handle adjacent one end thereof, for depression by the thumb of a hand grasping the handle, said plunger having its lower end projecting through the crimping band, thus to engage an associated pie pan, for rocking the device upwardly upon the pie pan to disengage the same following crimping and trimming thereof.

3. A device for crimping and trimming the edges of pie crusts, comprising a planiform support ring; a crirnping band secured to the underside of and extending through the full circumference of said support ring; a circumferential trimming flange depending from the outer periphery of the support ring, in close proximity to said crimping band, thus to trim the edge of said pie crust substantially simultaneously with the crimping of the same;

a handle of approximately inverted U-shape secured to and-extendingdiametrically ofthe support ring; and a depressible plunger mounted upon the handle adjacent one end thereof, for depression by the thumb of a hand grasping the handle, said plunger having its lower end projecting through the crimping band, thus to engage an associated pie pan, for rocking the device upwardly upon the pie pan to disengage the same following crimping and trimming thereof, said plunger being under spring bias tending to shift the same upwardly within the support ring.

4. A device for crimping and trimming the edge of a pie crust, comprising an annular support ring; a crimping band underlying and extending through the full circumference of said support ring, said band being fixedly secured to the ring; a trimming flange depending from the outer periphery of the ring and having a fixed connection to the ring, thus to substantially simultaneously trim and crimp the edge of apie'crust, responsive to downward movement of the support ringtoward the edge of a pie pan over which said crust extends; a handle extending diametrically of and fixedly secured to said ring; a plunger housing of inverted U-shape fixedly secured to the handle at one end thereof; a plunger slidably mounted in said housing and having one end projecting through the crimping band, the plunger at its other end including a button depressible by the thumb of a'hand grasping the handle, thus to rock-the ring, flange, and band upwardly out of engagement with the pie crustfollowing trimming and crimping of the pie crust; and spring means held under compression between the plunger and handle, for biasing theplunger to a normally retracted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 808,015 Coppins Dec. 19, 1905 1,442,635 Almedia Jan. 16, 1923 2,373,182 Gamache Apr. 10, 1945 2,409,021 Dale Oct. 8, 1946 

